Apples
by umpcai
Summary: Paige finds a book in Magic School that tells how to discover the name of a person’s true love. She wants her sisters to join in on the ritual.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed.

**Apples**

"Piper, look what I found," Paige said orbing into her home's kitchen.

Piper turned around from cooking her family's dinner and faced her sister. "What is that?"

Paige held up the book for Piper to see more clearly. "I was helping Ms. Donovan reorganize Magic School's library and I came across it. It's got all kinds of ancient spells and rituals. Look, it's even got one that shows you the first letter of your true love's name."

"Paige," Piper said, thinking of Paige's boyfriend, Kyle, who had been killed the week before and had answered to the higher calling of being a Whitelighter. Her sister had taken his death really hard.

"What? I'm just thinking that if it shows a K, that means Kyle and I will find a way to be together after all."

Piper sighed sympathetically. "If you and Kyle are really meant to be, I'm sure you'll find a way."

"We are. And this will just give me a little confirmation. Come on, I want you to try it with me."

"Why can't you do it by yourself?"

"Because, I'll know it really works when it shows Leo for you."

"Fine, "Piper put down the cutting knife, "There's no personal gain for this is there?"

Paige shook her head. "It's not even really magical. Only the answer given is said to be supernatural, since it's like fortune telling."

"So, how does it work?"

Paige grinned and set the book on the counter. Digging around in the cabinet below the sink, she dug out a big bowl. Filling it close to the brim with warm water, she placed the container next to the old book. "Apples," Paige said, holding out her hand. The fruit orbed to her palm. She placed it next to the bowl.

"What's the third one for?" Piper questioned, reading the ritual's paragraph in the book Paige had found.

"Phoebe. When she gets back from work, I think she'll want to try it. You know how badly she wants that little girl from her premonition. Knowing what her true love's name starts with may help her find the kid's father."

"I don't know about that, Paige. I don't think she's in such a hurry for it to come true anymore. I mean, I'm sure she still wants it to happen, but at destiny's pace."

"Yeah, she hasn't been so worked up about it. She seems kind of somber, depressed even. But, that's probably just because she thought the Avatar Utopia thing would work out better and she'd get her Ladybug sooner. This will cheer her up."

"Maybe."

"It will," Paige repeated. "Now, let's find our true loves."

Picking up the knife Piper had been using before, Paige peeled the first apple. Holding it before her, she closed her eyes and blew onto the peel softly. She dropped it into the water and watched eagerly as it uncurled. "A 'K'!"

"It looks kind of like an 'H' to me," Piper said.

"No, look how the little bump split a bit. It's clearly pointing up and down," Paige argued.

"Oh, I think you're right," Piper said looking at Paige's hopeful face.

"Now, you try. We'll see just how accurate this test really is." Paige removed her peel from the water and tossed it into the trash can.

Piper peeled another apple and blew on the red covering. She dropped it into the bowl of liquid. As she and Paige watched, an 'L' slowly formed.

"'L' for Leo," Paige announced, referring to Piper's husband. "See, it works."

"Yeah, I guess so," Piper said. "You're going to eat that apple, right. We can't just waste these."

"I'll eat it," Paige said. She took a bite out of hers, proving her words. "When's Phoebe coming home?"

"Right now," answered Phoebe, walking into the room. She placed her laptop onto the kitchen table. "Why?"

"I want you to try this. It may help you find your baby's daddy."

Phoebe looked at Paige. "I'm really just trying to let life happen now. If that little girl is going to come to me, she will. I'm not gonna try to make it happen, especially not by changing the world."

"I don't want you to change the world. I want you to find your true love. It's for fun. Piper's showed Leo and I got a 'K' for Kyle. So, it's your turn, now."

"I don't guess it will hurt," Phoebe relented. "There's no personal gain?"

"Uh- uh."

"Then, what do I do?"

"Here," Paige peeled an apple for her sister.

Phoebe looked at the apple peel and noticed the water nearby. She backed away from Paige. "On second thought, I'm really tired. I'm just gonna head up to bed."

"Phoebe?" questioned Piper, confused.

"What's wrong?" asked Paige.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I just had a hard day at the paper."

"You were ready to try this a minute ago," Paige pointed out. "What changed?"

"I just, look, I know what it will say, OK? I don't need to see it."

"You've met your true love? Why didn't you tell us?" Paige asked.

"I did," Phoebe mumbled. "You hated him."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just know what it will say, so there's really no point in doing this."

"Piper knew it would say Leo, but she did it anyway. It's just fun, Pheebs."

"Why are you pushing this so much, Paige? I don't want to see what it says."

"Sorry," Paige said. "I thought you'd enjoy it. I didn't mean to upset you."

Looking at her sister's hurt face, Phoebe sighed. She grabbed the apple peel from Paige, blew on it, tossed Piper's 'L' aside, and threw her own peel into the water. It very slowly formed the letter Phoebe had expected. "I knew it would say that," she whispered and left the room.

Paige and Piper glanced at the peel and their eyes widened, their thoughts identical as the same name came to each.

Paige hurried after Phoebe, "Maybe it means Cooper? Christopher, Craig, maybe?"

Phoebe had stopped in the living room and sat on the couch. She blinked back tears as her sisters came into view. Paige and Piper took a seat on either side of her.

"Phoebe?" Piper hesitated before continuing. "You knew what to do before we explained. Is that why you knew what it would say? Have you tried that before?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Halloween four years ago."

Piper thought for a minute. "You mean when we went back in time to the 1600s?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I never knew that."

"It could be wrong," supplied Paige. "Piper and I know ours is true because of what we feel in our hearts, but it's just an apple."

"I know what's in _my_ heart, Paige." Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't want to see the stupid apple point it out though."

"You can't be serious, Phoebe. You were over him along time ago. He's not your true love," said Paige.

"That's what I've been telling myself for two and a half years. But, last week Leo told me to remember the pain I've had over the years so we could beat the Avatars. I touched the Book in the attic and had a premonition. I saw Prue die, I saw Grams, Chris, and Andy's deaths, I saw innocents' deaths, and I saw Cole's first vanquish. I remembered how much it had hurt me and why I closed my heart off to him."

"So, what, you saw him die and decided 'let's go be in love with the evil dead demon again'?" Paige said angrily.

"No," Phoebe said. "I decided to stop ignoring my feelings for my soul mate and face the fact that I always have and always will love him. I decided to let go of the anger and sorrow of years ago and admit to myself that ever since I had that premonition of my little girl, I've wanted her father to be him. Beneath the worry of it all falling apart again, beneath the anger at myself, at him, at Evil, beneath the guilt that I could've saved him, there's love, Paige. I love him and I don't want to run from it anymore."

"Then, why didn't you want to see the apple peel?"

"It's one thing to know my feelings; it's another to have to stare them in the face and be mocked by them because I killed the best thing I'll ever have. Because looking at that apple, Piper, tells me I can never be with my true love again. And that hurts so much," Phoebe explained, unable to prevent some tears from escaping and running down her cheek.

"Pheebs," Piper put an arm around the younger woman comfortingly. "I know how much you loved, love, Cole. But, Sweetie, he was evil, we had to vanquish him and you have to move on."

"Yeah," piped up Paige, "And we'll help you in any way we can."

Pushing them away from her, Phoebe stood up, angrily wiping away the tears. "He wasn't evil. He was hurt. I hurt him and he lost it. I wasn't there for him and he turned back to doing bad deeds, but he was good! His heart, his soul, he was _so_ good. I ruined him."

She stormed up the stairs.

"I hate that book now."

Piper turned to Paige. "Do you think maybe she was right, though? He was possessed by the Source trying to save us. And maybe his pain over losing Phoebe drove him insane and back to evil. Do you think, maybe, we should have tried to save him, instead of condemning him?"

"No, I do not think that. He was evil, Piper. You know that. We needed to vanquish him."

"But, maybe-"

"No, no maybe. I will never think of Cole Turner as anything but evil."

* * *

"No," Paige exclaimed. "No maybe. I will never think of being nice to Cole Turner."

"Paige," Phoebe pouted.

"Not a chance. I agreed that maybe he's got some good in him; I agreed to give him another chance; but I will not treat him kindly. The guy's as annoying as they get and he's still demonic."

"At least Piper will be nice."

"But, only for you, Phoebe. I'm only giving him this chance, this last chance, for you. He does anything even remotely demonic, and he's out of here. And my niceness is conditional on his not being a pin in the butt."

"Then, you'll join me in no time," Paige commented.

"Cole is not annoying," Phoebe protested.

"You're biased, Honey."

Phoebe turned around and met striking blue eyes. She smiled and said reluctantly, "I guess. But it wouldn't hurt them to be kind."

"I don't mind if they aren't," Cole told her, "I annoy them; they annoy me; that's how it goes."

"Yeah, listen to the demon," Paige said.

"I'd tell you to ignore the witch, but in this case she's giving good advice."

"I think I'll ignore her for now anyway," Phoebe said inching closer to him.

"Be my guest." Cole met her lips passionately.

Piper rolled her eyes. "You know we resurrected you a week ago; how long is this 'newlywed' phase gonna last?"

"Maybe until we really are newlyweds again," Cole answered as he pulled back. Covering Phoebe's left hand with his own, he fingered the diamond ring on her finger. The smile on his face grew larger, "But, more likely, forever."

Phoebe grinned and caressed his cheek. "Definitely forever."

"So gross," Paige said as she stomped out of the conservatory.

"Wait for me," called Piper. "I don't want to witness this anymore, either."

She took off through an open doorway.

"I guess they find both of us annoying," Phoebe mused.

Cole nodded, running a hand through her dark locks. "I love you, Phoebe," he proclaimed.

Her chocolate eyes lit up. "I love you more," she promised.

"Doubt it," Cole said, moving closer.

"No, it's true," Phoebe insisted, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Whatever you say, Baby," he met her lips again. "Though it's me who loves you more."

"I see what my sisters meant."

"Should I be offended?"

"No. But you can cease my annoyance with you, unlike with my sisters."

"I don't want to stop annoying them, anyway."

"Cole, shut up and listen to _your_ witch."

She pushed herself against him and guided his face to hers.

"Gladly," Cole said softly and embraced her.

**The End**


End file.
